Asia

Moon Sun-Myung

A Moon in full

WHETHER the average Korean liked it or not, Moon Sun-myung was one of the country’s most famous sons to venture overseas. The creator of the controversial Unification Church—known to its detractors as the cult of the “Moonies”—had hundreds of thousands of followers at his peak. His “mass blessing” ceremonies in stadiums captured the attention of the world in the 1970s and 1980s.

Having died from pneumonia-related complications at the age of 92, he leaves behind a religious empire diminished in its number of adherents, but still with impressive financial clout. And range: Moon-family businesses include one of the main suppliers of raw fish to America, a newspaper, a private university and a gun manufacturer. He passed his final days in a church-owned hospital in the South Korean county of Gapyeong, an area where the UnificationChurch is known for its extensive land holdings.

Born in 1920 in a village in Pyeongan province, in what is today North Korea, the young Reverend Moon had a turbulent early life. Claiming to have spoken with Jesus at the age of 15, he proceeded to build up a following among Christians in Pyongyang, a city once known as “the Jerusalem of the East” for the zeal of its believers. In 1946 he was arrested and tortured by North Korean police, and eventually sentenced to six years’ hard labour.

He established his church in Seoul formally in 1954, overseeing it through years of expansion amid a general boom in Christian conversions in South Korea. He married his second wife, Han Hak-ja, in 1960. As wife of the prophet, she became known as “the true mother”, and with their fourteen children as part of the “true family”.

As his power grew, Moon pushed into Japan and the United States. His willingness to dole out political donations, and his espousal of anti-communism—nevermind that it was not strong enough to stop him doing business with North Korea—endeared him to America’s Republicans. But not everyone was impressed: American authorities pursued Moon for filing false tax returns, which resulted in an 18-month prison sentence in the early 1980s.

Moon’s later years saw a convergence between the UnificationChurch and its business interests. His children ascended to high-ranking positions in each. In this respect, their family was little different from the leadership in North Korea, or the families behind the chaebol conglomerates that dominate the South Korean economy.

Father-to-son succession is a common story among the rich mega-churches of South Korea, too. Moon’s worldwide reputation is largely one of a bizarre cult leader and religious entrepreneur; but for Korea, his organisation—and indeed, his tumultuous life story—is perhaps not quite so exceptional as one might think. This might help explain why his death was only the third- or fourth-ranked story in the national press today.

The fight against the Moonies was my introduction to student politics at Cardiff back in 1977. It was the only cause that united the Anarchists, Communists, Trotskyists, Socialist Workers, Labour, Liberals, Tories, Welsh Nationalists and a self proclaimed Fascist.

Walk down Queen Street in the city centre back in those days and I stood a good chance of being stopped. I tried all political angles on them and they always claimed to believe "something similar" - be it anything from extreme left or right that entered my head that day.

One day, asked what I believed in I told them I was a follower of Geoffrey Boycott.

"Who is this man?" replied the puzzled Moonie.

"You mean you've never heard about the man from Fitzwilliam?" I responded - warming to the theme.

"No - what does he teach"

Cue a ten minute exposition on the need to keep a straight bat, the importance of staying there, the need for practice, the pursuit of perfection and his life mission to vanquish the Australians.

Needless to say the Moonie believed in something similar.

Though I do wonder if she ever went back to find out more about the strange Northern Cult that worships at Headingley Cricket Ground.

Overall, conversion to christianity means forgetting your roots, this has been the case most of the places in the world where christianity has entered either mostly by deception, favor, money or force. Just look at the clothes of the bride in the photo! The completely westernized bridal dress shunning the Korean ethnic attire. We can see this in several places christianity (better still "churchianity") has instilled the mindset of dropping your age old ethnicity and aping western traditions. Deepening your roots and broadening your vision ...anyone ?

One needs to examine Moon and his manufactured Methodist hybrid in the broader political context, partcularly his cooperation with the US guided KCIA, Washington itself, his residence in the US and the vast landholds of his front companies particularly in Brazil, where BBC has reported his interests control an area of land in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso South states larger than England itself. And in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina as well. Then too, there are the North Korea industries that export components to world automakers made under poor environmental standards that are controlled by his operators. And perhaps his greatest legacy, current #2 at the World Economic Forum, Josette Sheeran, who left his Unification Church after fifteen years, and ultimately took a high level job in the George Bush State Department, then the UN World Food Program directorship and now the Davos gig. Might want to take a bigger snapshot.

A most superficial article. Rev Moons real contribution to world peace is not touched upon.He encouraged marriages across, cultures, races and religions. Although not belong to the unificationists, I have always found their meetings inspirational. People from all over the world commune together talking about how to grow spiritually and how to behave ethically all within the s.c. Holy Principle. Most interesting.

Seems like he has an interesting life, achieved more than most and then died in his own hospital!
His idea and the act of deliberately arranging marriages across racial, national and previous religious boundaries was/is a basic yet very interesting way to contribute to world peace:Especially between the Japanese and the Koreans. I'm not surprised he's disliked.

As a Korean, I indignantly dispute the suggestion that he is in any way representative of a Korean religious leader, or that I should be proud of him because he is one of the most well-known Koreans in the world.

At most, his institution only resembles some of the megachurches run by Protestant ministers in Korea, who in turn are deeply corrupt and do not represent even the average of what Korean Buddhism, Catholicism or other Christian sects can show. And at any rate, nearly half of our countrymen are without a religion anyways.

As for his fame outside of Korea, shouldn't that be called infamy? As I blush at the worldwide 'fame' that the Kim dynasty of North Korea has achieved, I blush at the level of notoriety that the Moons have built for themselves.

As always with journalist analysis it so superficial an now wonder people are left with a negative impression. Only the ones who took the time and effort could understand what was under the surface.
If the problem was his moneymaking then there ample of banks big businesses to complain about and who leader and stockholder do nothing for the sake of the world and enrich themselves. Look at all the entertainment star, sport stars very few give something back to their communities. And is usually is accepted because people believe for some reason or another that they deserve it.
When a religious man makes money to fund his educational projects, trying to educate the leader of the world and share ideas and vision, which could make world peace it, takes funding. He didn’t receive any taxpayer money to do this.
He created schools for young people, sponsored art projects and sport projects just to promote a deeper understand between people from all over the world.
He was concerned about short sighted political leadership which failed to address problems od starvation, broken families and drugs.
This world has a lot of problems, corruption greed, animosity, social problems, disintegration and alienation. This doesn’t have to be this way. It’s due to lack of leadership, which is short sighted and self serving. The legacy of Rev. Moon is to address these issues. To understand why its needed is to se articles and comments like those hear in the media.
People says Rev. Moon followers are brainwashed. This is nothing but a ridicules slur. There is now scientific ore objective support for that. There have bees several studies, but media never cares to read them so they don’t come to the publics knowledge.
Looking for someone who is brainwashing, look at all the slanted media reporting and offending comments filled with hate and ignorance without any attempt to understand why there are people who find it meaningful and rewarding to follow him.

I find it difficult to understand the story and the comments relating thereto. My thoughts about Rev. Moon relate to the establishment and support of the Washington Times which is one of the few newspapers in this country which does not support the far left. That it may survive the demise of the Compost!

Eric, thou spake the truth. Certainly God, outsourcing to Rev. Moon, can unite warring people, whatever they have been led to believe. Love and truth and tactical abstention from sex has many a wonder wrought. For communists there were but one way to unite: shoot two thirds of them. The leaders, lets say Towarich Tschugaschwili, did not bend the finger themselves. They just wrote down a number, why not 5000, and their followers faithfully/terifiedly killed for the greater good. I assume however, communism has lost its appeal for you, as decadent bourgoise bat-swinging would earn you a fat blot in your party file.
I apologize for fleetingly harbouring the thought of you following Lord Boykott.
You know, we believe, that everybody is destined to be a child of God, eventually. Then we shall have a lot of fun about our past follies.